If you are a loyal listener, you probably know that most of my guests here on the High School Hamster Wheel podcast are grown-ups. But every once in a while, if I’m lucky enough, I get to interview a teen or young adult who is doing amazing things. Today’s guest is just that. In this episode, I welcome Luke Harris to the show. At the young age of just 15 years old, as a sophomore in high school, Luke discovered a gap in the way his high school was teaching engineering. Rather than complain about it, he decided to develop his own curriculum for teaching middle school and high school students how to research and prototype solutions. During our conversation, Luke shares how he became interested in engineering and why he thinks problem-solving is like a tree. Stick around till the end when Luke offers valuable advice for young people who want to learn more about engineering. Luke is an inspiration to people of all ages so be sure to invite your kids to listen with you!
About Luke Harris
Luke Harris is a New York City high school sophomore at Horace Mann School. He enjoys taking things apart and not quite getting them back together, building computers, and being a varsity wrestler. He works part-time for Avid Games, helping with the design of their award-winning game Cards, the Universe, and Everything. For the past year, he has been developing a design engineering curriculum for kids, created to teach real-world entrepreneurial and engineering skills. His article about the experience was recently published in Fast Company magazine.
Episode Highlights
- Luke’s early introduction to engineering
- Playing with marble runs
- Problem-solving is the foundation of Luke’s curriculum
- Luke’s problem-solving process
- Finding real-world problems through ethnographic research
- Why problem-solving is like a tree
- Luke’s visit to the Harvard Biotech Lab
- Luke’s advice for high school students
- Lukes experience with failure and why it hasn’t stopped him
Resources
Luke’s website: Design Engineering Curriculum for Young Adults
Sample lesson plans and teacher’s guide